Inuvik Midnight Sun Complex
Our Healthbox, Our Community
The Midnight Sun Complex in Inuvik is <span class="text-color-beige1">a central hub for recreation, sports, and community events,</span> offering facilities for fitness, gatherings, and local programs.
The Government of the Northwest Territories Office of the Chief Public Health Officer supports bringing the Healthbox initiative to the Northwest Territories (NWT). The Healthbox initiative offers a unique opportunity to meet the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer priorities around health promotion and health protection, by offering a mechanism to easily distribute health promotion and harm reduction resources and education to NWT residents.
With an ongoing syphilis outbreak and increasing risks of a toxic drug supply in the NWT, the Healthbox has the potential to play a crucial role in improving access to Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infections (STBBI) self-tests, pregnancy tests, fentanyl test strips, naloxone, condoms and other items paired with in a low-barrier, stigma-free way.
We expect that this initiative, by means of improving availability and access to various harm reduction items, will improve morbidity and mortality associated with STBBIs and drug-related overdoses in the NWT.
Additionally, the Yellowknife Public Health supports the Healthbox initiative because of the immense impact it could have for the disenfranchised members of our community and allow for more equitable access to supports and resources in a non-stigmatizing way. This will help alleviate some barriers to clients that require testing or resources but are reluctant to seek help. The information gathered from the initiative will also provide essential data to help build supports in the community based on the statistics gathered during the program.
